What does "flaunt" mean?
Anything displayed for show.
Flaunt
/flɔːnt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Anything displayed for show.
- Grammar: flaunt is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: advertise, affect, air, betoken.
- Useful contrasts: conceal, downplay, hide.
- Usage evidence: Lawrence didn't flaunt his wealth.
How to use "flaunt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flaunt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flaunt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flaunt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flaunt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flaunt" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advertise" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flaunt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Anything displayed for show. obsolete
"Should I , in these my borrow'd flaunts, behold The sternness of his presence?"
- 2 the act of displaying something ostentatiously wordnet
Verb
- 1 To wave or flutter smartly in the wind. archaic, intransitive
"The black, rich soil had fed itself with the decay of a long period of time; such as fallen leaves, the petals of flowers, and the stalks and seed-vessels of vagrant and lawless plants, more useful after their death than ever while flaunting in the sun."
- 2 To flout. proscribed
"By that late date, however, the golden age of the lurid paperback book was pretty much over, and the sort of punishment meted out to Aday and Maxey for flaunting the sexual mores of a McCarthyite culture would soon be a thing of the past."
- 3 display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously wordnet
- 4 To parade, display with ostentation. transitive
"She’s always flaunting her designer clothes."
- 5 To show off, as with flashy clothing. archaic, intransitive, literary
"You Sot, ſays ſhe, you loyter about Alehouſes and Taverns, ſpend your Time at Billiards, Nine-pins or Puppet-ſhovvs, or flaunt about the Streets in your nevv gilt Chariot, never minding me nor your numerous Family; […]"
Example
"Lawrence didn't flaunt his wealth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flaunt"?
Common synonyms include: advertise, affect, air, betoken, blazon, blazon forth.
How do you use "flaunt" in a sentence?
Lawrence didn't flaunt his wealth.
How do you pronounce "flaunt"?
Pronounced /flɔːnt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Of North Germanic origin. Perhaps related to Norwegian flanta (“to show off, wander about”), Icelandic flana (“to rush about, act rashly or heedlessly”) and then also to French flâner (“to wander around, loiter”). Alternatively, it could be related to Swedish flankt (“loosely, flutteringly”) (compare English flaunt-a-flaunt), from flanka (“waver, hang and wave about, ramble”), a nasalised variant of flakka (“to waver”), related to Middle English flacken (“to move to and fro, flutter, palpitate”). See flack.
Etymology 2
By confusion with flout.